The National Science Foundation Research Vessel Hero Records consists of operations manuals, ships logs, reports, receipts, contracts, correspondence, deck logs, and engine logs from the Research Vessel Hero's years in service as a field vessel for the National Science Foundation; materials date from 1970 to 1985.

The Charles Swithinbank Correspondence Received During Service on Ninth Soviet Antarctic Expedition and Report of Expedition Activities is dated 1962-1966. The correspondence was written by members of the Sixth and Seventh Soviet Antarctic Expedition to Dr. Thomas O. Jones, the director of the National Science Foundation. The correspondence expresses gratitude to American scientists that visited the Soviet Novolazarevskaya ice shelf station. The correspondence, dated 1962-1963, was sent to Charles Swithinbank as reference materials for his visit to Novolazarevskaya. This collection also includes a report written by Charles Swithinbank, Technical Notes on the Ninth Soviet Antarctic Expedition, 1963-1965. The report provides an introduction on Swithinbank’s purpose for writing the report and how he is the first scientist from the United Kingdom to visit Novolazarevskaya. The report includes details about the supplies and equipment available at the station, the research being conducted, and photographs of the Ninth Soviet Antarctic Expedition members. A letter from Charles Swithinbank to Dr. Thomas Jones about the report is also included.

“Come North With Me” Transcription and “Bernt Balchen, Colonel, United States Air Force, Retired: A Special Report on the Unique Career of a Great American Patriot” is a transcription and report about Bernt Balchen’s early life, military career, and his work with Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s North Pole and South Pole flights. The materials were brought together by Bernt Balchen's wife, Bess Urbahn. The transcription was a rough draft of Balchen’s autobiography, “Come North With Me” and it was created by Balchen and Urbahn, circa 1957. Balchen used a Stenorette machine to dictate his autobiography and Urbahn would transcribe what Balchen said. In the transcription, Balchen recounts meeting his childhood hero, Roald Amundsen, and working with Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his North Pole and South Pole flights. “Bernt Balchen, Colonel, United States Air Force, Retired: A Special Report on the Unique Career of a Great American Patriot” is a report written by Evelyn Moore Isakson in 1972, and it details Balchen’s work with Byrd, his military service, and the circumstances leading to his retirement in 1956. The report was initially written to appeal to the United States government to award Balchen the Medal of Honor and elevate Balchen to a higher military rank.